dan15 Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 I have heard that this year in your rejection letter you are given your point scores in each category; example 25/30 on academics, 10/15 on references ect. Is this how Dalhousie has always done things but in the past did not release your scores in a letter or is this a new way of doing it? Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal07 Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 It's my understanding that this is a new way of doing it - at least that's the impression I got when I spoke to the Asst. Dean. It was explained to me that for the academic score it's 50/50 GPA & MCAT. So, if you're a maritimer, for every point ABOVE the baseline 24 MCAT you get an additional point (i.e. score a 33 = 9 pts); also if you score an R, S, or T on the WS you get an additional point as well. (This also leads me to think it's a new way of doing things because in previous years it was my understanding that Dal didn't even look at the WS). I don't know exactly how your GPA translates into their point system, but they convert your GPA to the OMSAS and then that gives them a certain number of points. You also can get additional points for scholarships and academic awards. Either way it's a tad confusing ... but I hope that helped a little Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuantum Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 So what is the academic score out?? If you get 33R...that's 10 out of what?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal07 Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 The academic score is out of 30. It's my understanding (again, this is just how it was explained to me so I'm not 100%), but if you got a 33R you would get 10 points out of 30, then those points would be added to your GPA points, and any additional points you get for having a lot of scholarships/academic awards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saberial Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 Have you folks recieved your rejection letters? I was an OOP applicant and got a rejection e-mail a few months back but no letter as of yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal07 Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 Yeah I received my rejection letter. Maybe they don't give a breakdown sheet for OOP? You should call them and ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuantum Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 The academic score is out of 30. It's my understanding (again, this is just how it was explained to me so I'm not 100%), but if you got a 33R you would get 10 points out of 30, then those points would be added to your GPA points, and any additional points you get for having a lot of scholarships/academic awards. How is the GPA points calculated? Also, how do they add in academic awards/scholarships? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal07 Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 It wasn't clear to me how the GPA points are calculated ... I was told for my application that because I had "a fair number of scholarships and academic awards" that I was given an "extra 4 or 5 points". I wish I had been given a better explanatin of the GPA points though - I will probably call them to review that aspect once they are a little less busy with applications and have more time to explain it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuantum Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 Ok...thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JewelLeigh Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 They are giving out the points this year because they don't have the resources to review each person's application. It is unlikely that they will be able to go over it with you. I believe they will eventually post the average scores for those who were accepted. You can thus use these scores to gauge which areas of your application are weak. Hopefully this will help you to make decisions to improve your application for the future. For OOP applicants, if you were not interviewed, your application did not make it to the full adcom discussion as far as I know. Thus, there may not be scores to inform you about, which is why you may not have received a letter. Much luck on future applications Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahZ Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 Jewelleigh, do you know if they used this point system in the past but just didn't release scores, or is it something completely new? Dal07 or anyone, if academics is /30, references /15, what are the other categories and how much are they worth? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal07 Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 The other sections are "supplemental" (interests, clubs, volunteer, medically-related experiences, work experience, essays) worth 30 and "interview" worth 25. So that makes: academic = 30 supplemental = 30 references = 15 interview = 25 for a total = 100 It says on my sheet that the average successful application score in the past 5 years has been an 84 ... hmm I didn't read that before I made those previous posts, so it seems like they have used a scoring system before but maybe just didn't make it public? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JewelLeigh Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 A scoring system of sorts has been used in the past as a guide for admissions at Dal. This system has been revamped from year-to-year and is only used as a guide and to compare applicants. In other words, from what I understand, the committee still discusses each application individually and admission is based on a vote that follows the discussion and not just on the official score. For example, perhaps an applicant scored 85, but the 15 missing marks were from a very very poor interview...the committee may choose to reject this person based on concerns over communication skills. On the other hand, an applicant may score 78 but most of the missing marks were in the supplemental section because this person had significant financial and family burdens and as such didn't have time to volunteer or participate in many ECs...the committee may choose to admit such an applicant despite the lower than avg score. Releasing scores to those who aren't successful will allow those who choose to re-apply to know which area of their application was most lacking. I don't recommend trying to contact the office to discuss the piddly details (Eg. why did I get 24/30 on academics instead of 25 when I had all of these scholarships? why did my friend who volunteered at the same place as me get 29/30 on supplemental and I only got 28?) These details are unlikely to change the overall outcome because as I said above...I believe the score is used as a guide only. Hope that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutchman Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 I am glad that Dal is adding a level of transparency to the admission process this year and allowing us to see how the operation works. I have a question I hope someone has an answer to (as I'm sure the admission office doesn't like fielding such questions). When they rank the GPA do they look at the last two years or all years as I am one of the poor souls who threw away their first year due to a lack of direction? So the difference of GPA (on a four scale) is 3.44 for all years and 3.76 for last two years. Obviously these two figures would be rated significantly different. My guess is that many people (deferred) score in the successful range and that is where Dal would implement their acceptances on an individual basis as opposed to say Western that says they just look at rankings. Last year I was part of a week that never received letters. It was the only time in history at Dal that adcom letters were 'lost' by Canada Post. Obviously I am like anyone else who hasn't heard yet and am starting to get more eager to hear some news. Applying to some Auzzie schools is starting to fill my mind ( even though people say that the timing of receiving a letter from Dal has little to do with the success of your application, it is hard to totally believe that). On the otherhand, I did hear of at least one adcom member who wasn't even in town for the first two months of meetings. Best of luck to everyone still waiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal07 Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Dal looks at your last two years. So if you're in your 4th year when you apply, they will take your 2nd and 3rd year marks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JewelLeigh Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Dal looks at your last two years. So if you're in your 4th year when you apply, they will take your 2nd and 3rd year marks. This is partially true. Dal uses your last 2 years when deciding if you have met their cut-off. I believe this is also the GPA used to calculate any initial points used in the scoring system. However, your entire transcript is available for the committee to consider, discuss and score upon. The rest of your transcript, your academic achievements, and your MCAT scores all may play a role in the academic score. Edit: To clarify based on some newly-learned info: this year they are using the last two years to calculate the GPA part of the academic. As far as I know, they still have the rest of the above-mentioned info with which to modify or add to the academic score. Sorry to Dal07 as he was correct in the first place... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JewelLeigh Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 My guess is that many people (deferred) score in the successful range and that is where Dal would implement their acceptances on an individual basis as opposed to say Western that says they just look at rankings. Exactly! This is where Dal will consider individual circumstances, accomplishments and how well they feel each applicant will fit into the program here Last year I was part of a week that never received letters. It was the only time in history at Dal that adcom letters were 'lost' by Canada Post. Arg! I am sorry to hear that you had to go through that. No matter where the letters were lost, it stinks and certainly added to an already stressful process for you and the others in the same boat. I hope that things go better this year...both with the letters arriving and with whatever message they bring! Obviously I am like anyone else who hasn't heard yet and am starting to get more eager to hear some news. Applying to some Auzzie schools is starting to fill my mind ( even though people say that the timing of receiving a letter from Dal has little to do with the success of your application, it is hard to totally believe that). On the otherhand, I did hear of at least one adcom member who wasn't even in town for the first two months of meetings. Regardless of when you hear, the result will be the same...if you're in, you're in! If not, then unfortunately, even though you were probably a stellar applicant, there was simply a very competitive field with more than 90 stellar people vying for only 90 spots. All files are reviewed and discussed carefully to make sure that the 90 who are accepted are the best 90! With respect to Australian schools, I would consider carefully if this is the best option. Of course living in Australia for 4+ years would be fantastic, but if Canada is where you want to end up, there might be better options (particularly the States). Make sure you do your homework before you make a commitment! Much luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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